KUALA LUMPUR, 18 July – Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) picked up the grand title in the 2017 National Intellectual Property (AHIN) Awards today. For the second time in a row, the university won in the Organisation Category (Best Management of Intellectual Property) and is named the gold winner at the prestigious ceremony which was held in Hotel Pullman Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur.

UPM received a cash prize of RM30, 000, a championship trophy, an accompanying trophy, and a certificate of appreciation from the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysian (MyIPO). This is the 5th win for UPM which has dominated the category since 2008.

Other than that, UPM also bagged a gold for the “Patent” Category for innovating an Additive for Edible Oil Composition. The research was spearheaded by Prof. Dr. Suhaila Mohamed from the Bioscience Institute of UPM who won a cash prize of RM10, 000, a trophy and a certificate of participation.

This revolutionary cooking oil is scientifically formulated from natural herbal extracts which act as an additive and it is used for frying purposes and is able to reduce oil absorption in fried foods up to 85%.

UPM vice chancellor, Prof Datin Paduka Aini Ideris said that UPM’s success is due to the development of efficient and systematic ecosystem in the commercialisation of intellectual property which starts from the protection of intellectual properties up to the stage of commercialisation which is managed by Putra Science Park.

Aini also added that “This ecosystem has helped to ensure UPM technology is commercialised and the special talents of university students are cultivated to produce techno entrepreneurs through the Innohub programme.”

“Today, UPM has successfully generated almost RM50 million, filed a total amount of 2077 intellectual properties and produced 40 start-up companies.”

“UPM has also actively participated in high-impact social programmes to develop the country which include PadiU Putra, Kit Bijak Wang and Putra Blok,” she said.

The National Intellectual Property (AHIN) Awards was first launched in 2006 to commemorate the National Intellectual Property Day which was initiated by MyIPO, an agency which comes under the purview of the Ministry of Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism whose purpose is to give the due recognition to innovators and inventors, and their intellectual properties which have also contributed in the development of the social economy of the country.

A total of seven awards were up for grabs which included categories such as Organization (Best Intellectual Property Management); Patent; Trade Marks & Geographical Indications; Industrial Design; Copyright; Intellectual Property Inventor (Students of Skilled Training Institutions or its equivalent); and Young Intellectual Property Inventor (Secondary School Students).